Back in 2009, Stu found Pedro's Syn Lube to be 'Excellent'. Nothing's changed – it's still a cracking product for keeping you squeak-free in the winter months.
Pedro's was born during the late Eighties mountain bike boom, when friends of the co-founders were racing offroad in the rather damp Pacific northwest of the USA and wanted a lube that stayed stuck for the duration of a race; Teflon was all the rage, but just couldn't stand up to soaked, filthy conditions. Fortunately for British road cyclists and commuters, conditions on what pass for 'roads' in the UK winter pretty much mimic muddy wet American trails.
> Find your nearest dealer here
Pedro's advises that you apply Syn Lube, wait an hour, then wipe off excess with a rag. Then ride. A lot. Its 'Lube-O-Meter' scale purports Syn Lube to be good for 150 miles – and my experience backs that up.
After 130 miles of winter riding in a mixture of wet and dry conditions over clean and absolutely filthy roads, my drivetrain is still squeak- and rust-free, without a buildup of congealed sludge on the derailleur pulleys or sprockets.
On first application it was immediately noticeable how quiet the drivetrain was compared with my go-to lube. Yes, the chain got black. But in my experience, lubes that keep your chain looking clean do so because they've fallen off.
> Video: How to clean and lube your bike
Without employing hyper-accurate testing machinery and regimes, it is of course highly anecdotal, but based on eyeballs and ears, Pedro's Syn Lube keeps things clean and quiet for a long time riding in poor conditions.
Verdict
It goes on quickly and lasts a long time – a great choice
Make and model: Pedros Syn Lube
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
It's for people who ride lots in winter and don't want to be re-lubing chains every ride.
Pedro's says:
Performance Wet Lube
The original synthetic chain lube formulated specifically for mountain bikes
Superior wear protection, efficiency and durabilty for extreme conditions/mileage
Unique detergents break down and isolate dirt protecting the surfaces of your chain
Recommended for 150 miles / 5+ rides
This is the product that started it all back in 1989. This breakthrough lubricant revolutionized the entire chain lube market. This full synthetic lubricant is designed to handle the harshest conditions and outlast other lubes in all conditions. Syn Lube is formulated with extreme pressure additives, corrosion inhibitors, and tackifiers to provide incredible wear protection, lubrication, and staying power in extreme wet and muddy conditions. Unique polymer detergents also work to break down dirt protecting the surfaces of your chain. Go ahead, play in the mud.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Apply lubricant to rollers of the chain while backpedaling drivetrain.
For best performance, wait at least 1 hour.
Before riding use a rag to wipe off all excess lubricant from outside surfaces of chain.
Rate the product for quality of construction:
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
10/10
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
Rate the product for value:
9/10
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Very well indeed.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
It kept on working.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Nothing, really.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your score
Anything that goes on and stays stuck for 130 miles of winter riding without a squeak or spot of rust is an exceptional product.
Age: 43 Height: 183cm Weight: 72KG
I usually ride: Merida Ride 5000 Disc My best bike is:
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: A few times a week I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo-cross, club rides, general fitness riding, mountain biking, Dutch bike pootling
To answer your question, yes you can sometimes feel the difference. Built a set of wheels for a friend and he installed them with new lightweight...
"braking zone" This is about bunch riding.
Riding in primary wouldn't stop a motorist crossing the white line to overtake: arguably, it would encourage them to cross the white line giving...
Cycling infrastructure does not force drivers to break the law, drivers are the reason they break the law, no one else.
Ah but taking pictures of things to defy the man (avoid a fine) is righteous. Taking pictures of people to grass on them to the cops (perhaps...
As a woman, this works great for me! My chain broke once, and a kind guy stopped with a chain breaker and sorted it all out for me. We stopped at a...
Same. I also have gone through a bunch of their tyres, and only the extralight disappointed (torn sidewall) but the standards are fantastic....
thanks for the ideas....
Indeed - but it's no more inconsistent than our current road design - very often UK high streets are "for shopping" and also a busy through route....
If you ask the world's leading economic commentators how many people have been rescued from abject poverty by capitalism the average answer would...